Tony Richardson

It’s kind of amazing. The Jets led the NFL in rushing, yet 50% of that league-leading backfield is gone – Thomas Jones and Leon Washington. Training camp will be about trying to define roles for Shonn Greene (is he well-rounded enough to play on any down?), LaDainian Tomlinson (can he adjust to a complementary role?) and Joe McKnight (can he replace Washington as the third-down back?)

On many levels, this will be a new experience for Tomlinson. In San Diego, he barely broke a sweat in pre-season games, but now he’ll be asked to carry a decent workload as he assimilates into the Jets’ system and tries to convince the coaches he’s still worthy of a significant role. Greene missed a chunk of his rookie camp with a sprained ankle, so his No. 1 goal is to stay healthy. The coaches are eager to see if his receiving skills have improved to the point where he can be trusted in any situation. Don’t expect to see a lot of Tony Richardson in camp; at 38, he’ll be used judiciously. That will allow to the two young battering rams, rookie John Conner and Jason Davis, to receive more reps.

If Shonn Greene's receiving skills improved this offseason, he could see more third down opportunities. This could be huge in PPR formats.